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Smart Grids


The term Smart Grid, which stands for smart electricity grid, refers to networks that have increased operational efficiency through technology, digitalization, and automation.

A Smart Grid, as defined by the MegaWhat portal, makes it possible for energy distribution companies to monitor consumers' consumption in real time. This is done through smart meters, which also provide data capable of improving the understanding of demand and network planning.

Neoenergia invests in smart grids in order to generate constant innovation and increasing quality in the distribution of energy to the company's more than 16 million customers.

Neoenergia's main projects in the area of Smart Grids

A solution that automatically restores energy supply, this is one of the main Smart Grids initiatives adopted by Neoenergia.

Self-Healing, which stands for Self-Recomposition, is applied to energy distribution network equipment, which start to operate maneuvers in an automated manner if there are events, such as falling trees, atmospheric discharges, or animal actions. It is an integrated system that allows for more efficient management, with an almost instantaneous response. It works like this:

  • The area affected by the problem is isolated.
  • The electrical network is automatically reconfigured so that energy passes through paths that have not been reached, supplying as many customers as possible in a short period of time.
  • These actions take place in just 60 seconds.
  • The equipment is connected to Neoenergia's Integrated Operations Center (COI).
  • The COI receives the exact location of the incident and sends electricians to the scene to verify the situation and act when necessary.
Currently, we have more than 17 thousand automated distribution equipment, more than 4 thousand of which are involved in an automatic recomposition scheme throughout the network of municipalities in the following states: São Paulo, Bahia, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, Mato Grosso do Sul and the Federal District

Since 2020, Neoenergia has been operating a private 4G/LTE network that serves the entire region of Atibaia, in São Paulo. It is a pioneering project for the digitization of the electricity grid and the company's operation, with more than 78,000 smart meters and a complete network automation scheme with Self-Healing in operation.

Using the basic infrastructure of this project, there are also complementary initiatives, such as the development of a proof of concept (PoC) with smart meters communicating in 4G LTE with a frequency of 410-415 MHz, which is an evolution in the application model and will allow, in the future, on a large scale, to accelerate deployment with optimized investment, bringing benefits to the customers of all distributors.

Neoenergia was the first company in Latin America to build a private 4G LTE network for the energy distribution segment in Brazil. The company opted for its own 4G in order to guarantee greater reliability and security of communications, scalability of solutions, and cost efficiency. The action is part of the Energy of the Future project, which develops technologies for decarbonization, energy efficiency, and digitalization of networks.

Neoenergia is responsible for the modernization of intelligent measurement in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago. In January 2023, the company replaced more than a thousand approved meters with broader functionalities that allow it to fulfill requests remotely. The process also included the maintenance of the telecommunication system in the region, with equipment specially designed for the precise management of electrical networks. The initiative is also part of the Energy of the Future project.

In addition to the COI, Neoenergia relies on the work of the Intelligent Grid Management Center (CEGRI) to monitor around 75,000 devices from the company's dealerships. The center operates with cutting-edge supercomputer technology that combines data analytics with artificial intelligence, allowing the correlation of alarms and the prediction of faults and events of the monitored equipment, and the collected data is used to base decision-making.

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